King Leonidas is leading the Spartans in battle in 300 Zack Snyder’s movies are currently defined by his heavy use of visual effects, explosions, and intense action sequences but his early projects were a bit different. Before he helmed several films in the DC Extended Universe, he had several critically acclaimed films, including 300.

Unfortunately, historical epic 300 will be leaving Netflix on Dec. 31. The film premiered in 2007 to a positive reception, marking Zack Snyder’s second editorial effort after his successful 2004 zombie film Dawn of the Dead. 300 has been available on Netflix since September 2024. The historical epic, which comes after the success of 2000’s Gladiator, starred Gerard Butler in the leading role as Leonidas, as well as David Wenham, Dominic West, Michael Fassbender, and more.

300 had a positive reception and it currently holds a decent 61% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes. While the score is not too high considering its 236 reviews, it sits above the threshold of 60% which allows it a “fresh” rating. The audience enjoyed it even more, and the film has an approval rating of 89% out of over 250,000 reviews. Snyder co-wrote the script with Kurt Johnstad and Michael B. Gordon, and was based on the 1998 comic book series of the same name.

The historical epic was also very successful at the box office. It ended its theatrical run as the tenth film of 2007, which is no small feat. Out of a budget of approximately $60 million, the film ended up earning $454.1 million worldwide, adding more than $270 million more in DVD and Blu-ray sales (via The Numbers).

Considering its success, the film received a sequel that was less popular with the critics, 300: Rise of an Empire. Snyder didn’t return to direct but co-wrote the script with Kurt Johnstad, and Noam Murro helmed the sequel. Gerald Butler didn’t reprise his role.

300 Will Be Turned into a TV Series

Snyder had plans to continue the 300 franchise with another sequel. He wanted to conclude the film trilogy with a film following Alexander the Great. However, during the development, he turned the story into a different project named Blood and Ashes, which was not a direct sequel to the previous two installments. Warner Bros. didn’t approve the project.

Gerard Butler's Leonidas I during a battle in Zack Snyder's 300. Gerard Butler as Leonidas in 300 King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) is standing with his arms spread while shouting a battle cry in 300. The Spartans are lined up in a wall in battle in 300 Gerard Butler's Leonidas I during a battle in Zack Snyder's 300. Gerard Butler as Leonidas in 300 King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) is standing with his arms spread while shouting a battle cry in 300. The Spartans are lined up in a wall in battle in 300

Snyder regained the rights to the 300 franchise in December 2023, and he intends to continue the project. In May 2024, it was announced that Snyder would continue the story as a 300 television series.

The latest update about the upcoming series came in September when the director told ComicBook that he was getting ready to work on it. He also teased that the 300 television series would be a prequel, taking years before the events of the 2007 film.

“We’re just getting ready to dive in and get to work on it,” Snyder explained. “It’s super fun, I love the world. And even just in the preliminary meetings, we’ve had talks about, like, ‘What if this happened or that happened.’ Just a lot of… It’s just really fun to like go, wow, it’s a rich standard. It’s similar to this [his latest project, the animated series Twilight of the Gods] in a weird way, as far as there’s a lot of underpinnings.”

300 is still available to stream on Netflix until Dec. 31.